Google doodle celebrates Egyptian election

Google has a doodle on its Egyptian homepage, celebrating the arrival of the country’s first democratic elections. The doodle shows the various letters of the Google logo taking part in the voting process.

The Egyptian elections are the source of much tension in the country, with deep divisions between democracy campaigners and the country’s (theoretically temporary) ruling military junta. Many of the campaigners use the internet to communicate and find information, so the doodle will likely be seen by millions of Egyptians.

Earlier in the year, Google helped Egypt’s Ministry of Administrative Development set up an API to help with the elections. This work included a website for the elections. But some people worry that Google is wading into a complex political process, and that the company is failing to recognise the continued tensions and violence across Egypt.